Door-latch.



T. M. PILARSKI.

DOOR. LATCH.

AYPLIGATION FILED 1320.3, 1909.

952,277, Patented Mar.5,190.

UEX/ 155555 .u

aTHOMAS M. PILARSKI, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

Application filed December 3, 1909. Serial No. 531,177.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. PILAnsKr, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Latches, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in door latches and the objects ofmy improvements are simplicity and economy in con struction andconvenience and efiiciency in use.

In the accompanying drawings z-Figure 1 is a front view of my improveddoor latch in normal unlocked position and applied to a door flush withthe door casing, the door and casing being shown in part. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of my latch in engaged or locked position and applied to adoor set back from the front line of the casing. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the back plate on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a sectionalview of my door latch on the line w of Fig" 3. Fig. 5 is a back view ofthe bolt. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the bolt member of my door latchon the line jz/ y of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the keepershown in Fig. 2. Fig. S is a perspective view of the spring on anenlarged scale.

My door latch comprises a bolt member A which is attached to the doorand a keeper B attached to the casing adjacent the edge of the door andwhich bolt member and keeper are adapted to engage with one another soas to lock the door and at the same time to press the door backwardagainst the door frame or casing. The said bolt member A comprises abolt C which is pivotally mounted on a back plate D by means of a pivotE. The said bolt C comprises a generally flat plate-like piece having apivot hole 10 generally in the center, and a contour for somewhat morethan 180 degrees essentially concentric with the said pivot hole 10, andas shown in Fig. 1 an inclined engaging surface 12 at the top ofappreciable width and concentric with the said pivot hole 10 and a fiatback surface adapted to serve as a back bearing surface and forming withthe said engaging surface 12 an arc shaped wedge or inclined plane. Asshown in said Fig. 1 the said bolt C is in normal disengaged position,and the said inclined engaging surface 12 extends across the top forabout degrees. At the right the said engaging surface 12 is cut offvertically at 15 and when located on the door the said vertical edge 15is in alinementwith the edge of the door. The said vertical edge 15constitutes an engaging nose and corresponds to the thinnest point orapex of the said wedge and may be an essentially sharp edge, and backfrom the same, or in counter clockwise relation to the same the wedgeshape formation continues for about 90 degrees, at which point thethickness may be about a quarter of an inch, and beyond the 90 degreepoint the thickness is uniform and corresponds to the greatest thicknessof the said wedge shape formation, and constituting a strengthening rib16, whichextends to a point essentially below the said pivot hole 10 atwhich oint is located a thumb piece or handle 1 As shown the saidstrengthening rib 16 is gradually formed inward radially from the lineconcentric with the said pivotal hole 10 so that at the junction withthe said handle 17 the distance from the said pivotal hole 10 is such asto provide simply for reasonable clearance for the front head 18 of thepivot E. From the junction 19 of the said vertical edge or nose 15 andthe said engaging surface 12 the said bolt C is cut away on a straightline 2O down to the said handle 17. The body 21 of the said bolt Cinclosed by the said engaging surface 12 and the strengthening rib 16comprises a flat web parallel with the back surface and adjacent thesaid pivot hole 10 which is adapted to serve as a front bearing surface22. The back surface of the said bolt C is provided with a groove orslot 23, preferably vertical as shown and adapted to engage with theapex 24 of a fiat spring F so as to be positively retained by saidspring in the normal disengaged position when set to such position. Thesaid back plate D comprises an essentially iiat plate, generallyrectangular, having two holes 25 for retaining screws near the top andbottom respectively, and a pivot receiving hole 26, shown as a littlebelow the center and which is preferably countersunk, to receive thefiat head comprising the back head 27 of the pivot E. Between the saidpivot hole 26 and the lower retaining screw hole 25 is a rectangularrecess constituting a bed 28 adapted to receive the said flat spring F.The pivot E comprises preferably a fiat headed screw 29 having the flathead 27 at the back and a nut constituting the front head 22, the outerend of the screw being headed or riveted over after the nut has beenscrewed on the same, in an ordinary manner or an ordinary rivet may beused for the same.

The keeper B as shown in Fig. 1 is adapted to be mounted on the frontface of a casing arranged Hush with the door and comprises a body 30having a plate like formation having holes 31 for retaining screws atthe outer side and a vertical inner edge 33, provided with anoverhanging nose 32, the amount of overhang corresponding generally withthe width of the said engaging surface 12 on the bolt C, and adapted toengage with the said engaging surface 12 when the said bolt C isoperated in a clock-wise direction by means of the said handle 17.

The keeper B1 is adapted for use where the door sits back from the frontline of the casing and is adapted to be secured by means of screw holes31u to the side of the casing and has an engaging nose 32l adapted toengage with the said bolt C. The said spring F comprises a relativelyshort piece of flat spring material having squared ends 34 anappreciable width and is generally flat and straight except for aninverted V shaped formation at the middle, the said apex 24 of which isa lit for the said groove or slot 23 in the said bolt C and adapted toengage therewith when the said bolt is in the said normal disengagedposition as mentioned, and which may be sprung downward and disengagedtherefrom when pressure is applied to the said handle 17 so as to formthe said bolt C for the purpose of engaging with the said keeper B orB1. The length of the said spring F is such as to lit the said bed 2S inthe back plate D. The said bed 28 has a depth at the ends 35corresponding to the thickness of the said spring F, and intermediatethe ends is concaved so as to permit space for housing the said apex 24of the spring F when the same is forced and held downward when the saidbolt C is at positions other than the said normal disengaged position.hen the said bolt C is operated by the handle 17, so as to be turned inclockwise direction from the disengaged position into engaging position,the said engaging' surface 12 adjacent the said nose 15 first engageswith the said overhanging nose 82 or 32L of the keeper B or B1, and asthe rotary motion is continued the door is continually pressed towardthe casing until brought against the same and is finally firmly pressedand locked against the same in such position by the pressure due to thewedging or cam effect of the wedge formation of the bolt C as described.The said handle 17 extends appreciably downwardly radially and is ofappreciable depth, so that the same will come into contact with thekeeper B in case the bolt C is turned in the wrong direction.

As described, the spring F tends to produce frictional resistance torotation of the bolt C at positions other than the normal disengagedposition, and at the latter position the apex 24 of the said spring inconnection with the groove or slot 23 operates as a resilient stop, andwhich may be overcome by a superior pressure applied to the handle.

I claim as my invention 1. In a door latch a bolt member adapted to bemounted on the front face of a door, and a keeper adapted to be mountedon a door casing, the said bolt member comprising a plate-like bodypivotally mounted and provided on the front with an arc shaped andinclined engaging surface and on the back with a plane back bearingsurface having a groove, the said keeper provided with an overhangingnose adapted to engage with the said inclined surface, means forengaging and disengaging said nose and surface, and means for positivelyholding the same in disengagement comprising a fiat spring having a Vshaped formation and the apex of the V in engagement with said groove inthe said back bearing surface.

2. In a door latch a bolt member adapted to be mounted on the front faceof adoor and comprising a plate like body pivotally mounted on a backplate, having an inclined engaging surface and provided with a handle,and means adapted to positively lock said body and back plate relativelyin one position and to produce friction resistance to rotary motion inother positions, the said means comprising a fiat spring having a Vshaped formation intermediate the ends, embedded in a recess in saidback plate, the apex of the V bearing against the back face of said bodygenerally and in engagement with a groove in said back surface when thesaid body and plate are locked in said one position.

3. In a door latch a bolt member adapted to be mounted on the front faceof a door and a `keeper adapted to be mounted on the face of a doorcasing, the said bolt member comprising a bolt having a flat plate likebody, pivotally mounted adjacent the center, having a fiat back surfaceadapted to serve as a back bearing surface, a web-like formationadjacent the pivot the front of which is adapted to serve as a frontbearing surface, an inclined engaging surface extending for essentially90 degrees above said pivot, a handle below said pivot, a strengtheningrib extending lfrom said inclined surface to said handle and a Vgroovein said back bearing surface adapted to receive a locking spring.

Il. In -a door latch a bolt member and a keeper, vthe said bolt membercomprising a bolt C havinga plane back bearing surface provided with agroove 23 and a web-like body 21, and pivotally mounted by means of saidweb-like body on a back plate D, and

above the pivot an inclined engaging surface against the said backbearing surface and in 12, below said pvot a handle 17, between oneposition adapted to engage with the Said said engaging surface and saidhandle a rib groove.

16, the said back plate provided with a bed THOMAS M. PILARSKI. 28adapted to house a Spring F, the said Witnesses: spring comprising a Vshaped formation, the SHEFFIELD H. CLARKE,

apex 241 of said V adapted generally to press NEWTON lL. Loomvoon.

